According to a Labour Party analysis of overcrowded rail services: 

£37m

Overcrowding on UK railways is at one of the highest levels since records began

£20m

The top 10 most overcrowded peak train routes are on average 187% in excess of capacity

£2.4bn

The most overcrowded route in 2016 was the 07:16 Southern service from East Grinstead to London Bridge, with nearly double the number of passengers on the train as the service is designed to be able to carry

£291m

The most overcrowded route last year was the 04.22 from Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport, which was 211% in excess of capacity

4.4 million

The top 10 most overcrowded peak train routes will be an average of over 207% in excess of capacity by the end of the parliament

£37m

2018 saw the cancelled or significantly late services at their highest level in 17 years

 In News

Rail fares rise 3.2% today in a "kick in the wallet" to passengers who have suffered a year of chaos. Punctuality plunged to a 13-year low in 2018 after 12 months of delays, cancellations and overcrowding on many lines. Yet [...] commuters will be paying nearly £3,000 a year more to travel to work than in 2010.


Source: Mirror.co.uk

Scotrail has admitted there will be no immediate end to disruption on the railways in the wake of the new timetable chaos as it increased compensation rates for its poor performance. It comes as unions demanded that the transport secretary Michael Matheson resigns over the handling of the new timetable chaos.


Source: The Herald

A demonstration calling for the nationalisation of rail services has been held at Glasgow Central Station. Campaigners at the demo, organised by the TSSA union, have demanded Abellio be stripped of the ScotRail contract. It follows months of complaints about cancellations, delays and overcrowded carriages on some routes.


Source: BBC News


Virgin Trains was forced to close ticket barriers as a safety measure amid overcrowding at Manchester Piccadilly station in December last year. The company said it had to act as many hundreds of people packed into the station due to a perfect storm of events, including strikes and a busier than usual city because of the festive period. Passengers posted extraordinary pictures of long queues and overcrowding as scores of people tried to board trains out of the city.


Source: Manchester Evening News


 In quotes:

Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary:


“Under the Tories, fares have risen three times faster than average wages and severe disruption has blighted the network meaning services are often delayed or cancelled. The Government’s blind obsession with privatisation is putting the future of the railway at risk. Labour will do what’s best for passengers and taxpayers by taking the railway back into public ownership in order to improve services and cap fares.”

Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport:


“The private sector has a significant part to play – privatisation has reversed decades of decline and heralded the fastest expansion of our railways since the Victorian era. More than £48bn will be spent over the next five years on maintaining and upgrading the existing network to boost performance and sustain growth, increasing reliability and punctuality for passengers. We are determined to make the most of this record investment for all those who use our railways.”